Winery of the Month: Kontozisis

Kontozisis Organic Vineyards is an organic grower in Karditsa, a rural town in the region of Thessaly. Karditsa is known as the bicycle capital of Greece, with many bicycle roads and many residents using them as their primary means of transportation, The winery and vineyards are on the foothills of mount Agrafa, in two distinctive terroirs between Kanalia and Dafnospilia.

Kontozisis has been practicing certified organic agriculture since 1991, one of the first to get such a certification in Greece. Andreas Kontozisis and his partner Aphrodite Tousia work passionately with the area’s prized indigenous red grape, limniona alongside plantings of the more ubiquitous Greek varieties xinomavro, roditis and assyrtiko. Kontozisis uses no press (only free run wines) and no commercial yeasts.

Their experiments with modern and ancient fermentation vessels, skin contact, limiting or eliminating sulfur, et cetera, have led to a complex range of wine offerings, each bottling full of intention character.